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How Super Meat Boy 3D Keeps its Gory Identity
It seems like going from 2D to 3D is the natural progression for platforming games, especially if you want to keep reiterating and providing new experiences for players. After all, gaming’s biggest platform mascots have done so: Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Pac-Man. Super Meat Boy is following those same footsteps.
The Team Behind Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection on How the New Game Came to Be
The Monster Hunter Stories series has been a wonderful spin-off of the mainline Monster Hunter adventures. Instead of real-time action, Monster Hunter Stories takes a more traditional Japanese RPG route with a Pokemon-style collectathon angle that rivals even Nintendo’s iconic franchise. Additionally, it opts for a turn-based battle system instead of real-time action, further establishing its own identity from the main games.
The Team Behind Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake on What to Expect From the Game
The Fatal Frame franchise has seen a resurgence lately with recent remasters of its fourth and fifth entries, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water.
However, this time around Koei Tecmo has opted to give the arguably best entry in the series, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, the full remake treatment. With overhauled visuals, more intense combat, and new content, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake seeks to take the series into the modern age. It’s one of the most unique Japanese horror franchises out there, and Koei Tecmo is hoping this remake will bring in some new fans.
However, this time around Koei Tecmo has opted to give the arguably best entry in the series, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, the full remake treatment. With overhauled visuals, more intense combat, and new content, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake seeks to take the series into the modern age. It’s one of the most unique Japanese horror franchises out there, and Koei Tecmo is hoping this remake will bring in some new fans.
Interview: Talking Marvel Rivals' Path to Doomsday, Live Service Survival And More
Marvel Rivals has been one of the few live-service successes in the past two years. It’s currently in its sixth season, with the seventh coming later this month. The game has a staggering 47 characters in its playable roster so far, and there seem to be no signs of slowing down.
How the Reboot of Retro Arcade Racer Screamer Came to Be
The retro racing game Screamer is getting a reboot, but this time with anime visuals. The original game was released for the MS-DOS in 1995 and has spawned several sequels since, with the last one being Screamer 4x4 in 2001. The developer, Graffiti, is now known as Milestone and is in charge of the anime-inspired reimagining.
How ‘Call of Duty’ Got Dethroned in 2025
There are very few constants in the video game industry. The decades-long console wars waged by PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo are winding down. Business models are evolving to prioritize subscription services, free-to-play games, and microtransactions. And our gaming libraries are increasingly digital, with physical copies becoming collector’s items. But if there’s one thing that you could always count on amid the upheaval, it was Call of Duty’s overwhelming dominance. That is, until 2025, when the shortcomings of the online shooter’s latest incarnation, combined with a concerted attack by two rival games, conspired to take Call of Duty down.
How 007 First Light brought its characters to life
007 First Light, the next game from Hitman developer IO Interactive, is a new and original take on the iconic spy franchise. Since it's starting from the ground up with a younger, fresher James Bond, naturally he needs an equally compelling villain. Enter the Pirate King Bawma, leader of a massive black market arms hub known as Aleph, a fictional city in Mauritania. Played by musical legend Lenny Kravitz, Bawma is shaping up to be a formidable match for the charming MI6 agent.
Interview: How Hitman's Elusive Targets Are Chosen
Hitman is a series defined by its absurdist humor. You can drown someone in a toilet, or make a giant chandelier drop on top of their heads. Despite being a game about assassinating targets, the levity makes you feel like you’re just checking off a list. But that’s what makes Hitman so enjoyable and fun. The difference between the actions and tone highlight how eccentric the series is.
Arknights: Endfield Could Be Your Next Gacha Game Obsession
Chinese developer Hypergryph and publisher Gryphline are behind Arknights, a tower-defense tactical mobile RPG that has seen moderate success around the world. Its puzzle-based gameplay, base-building mechanics, and surprisingly lenient gacha features made it stand out among the rest of its contemporaries.They’re now releasing a spin-off, Arknights: Endfield, an open-world 3D action RPG.
How MapleStory Continues To Thrive Over 20 Years Later
In 2003, South Korean game development studio Nexon created MapleStory, a free-to-play 2D side-scrolling massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. It garnered a dedicated fanbase through the years with its cute graphical style and social experiences. Players were able to level up by defeating bosses, making their characters more powerful, and interact with other players throughout the world.
Kazutoyo Maehiro and Hiroshi Minagawa on What They Want Fans to Gain From FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - THE IVALICE CHRONICLES
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS was first released in 1997 for the original PlayStation and has since been lauded as one of the best video games ever created. With its engrossing story, likeable cast of characters and deep gameplay mechanics, it has stood the test of time. Now, almost 30 years later, Square Enix has remastered the title as FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - THE IVALICE CHRONICLES, complete with graphical enhancements and quality-of-life additions to make it more accessible to more people than ever before.
How Battlefield 6’s Portal lets you build your own war
One of the standout new features in the Battlefield series is Portal, which was first introduced in Battlefield 2042. Portal enables players to create custom game matches called “Experiences,” and implement their own rules and gameplay options. This gave the Battlefield community tools that dramatically extended the game’s lifecycle. Now Portal is coming back in Battlefield 6, improved and better than ever.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance Creative Director Ben Fiquet on Breathing New Life Into a Franchise He’s Loved Since Childhood
SEGA has recently taken the initiative to revive some of its classic and dormant IP, including Virtua Fighter and Crazy Taxi. One of them, the ninja action series Shinobi, just received its first brand new entry since 2011. SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is a 2D action side-scrolling platformer that sees the return of series protagonist Joe Musashi. This time around, Streets of Rage 4 developer Lizardcube has taken the reins of the series to create SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance. The studio blended both classic platforming and action with modern art and control sensibilities to create a unique experience that feels both nostalgic and up-to-date.
Game Director David Jaumandreu on Wanting a 90s Seinen Anime Aesthetic for NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound
The Ninja Gaiden series has seen a resurgence in 2025 with the release of NINJA GAIDEN Black 2 back in January and the recent launch of NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound last month. To top it all off, the next mainline entry, Ninja Gaiden 4, is set to release in October.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound sees the classic ninja series return to its 2D roots with sidescrolling action and nostalgic NES-style pixel art. While modern 3D games are all the rage these days, Koei Tecmo isn’t letting Ninja Gaiden’s history fall by the wayside and worked with developer The Game Kitchen (best known for the excellent 2D side-scrolling action game, Blasphemous) and publisher Dotemu to honor Ninja Gaiden’s 2D origins.
Crunchyroll sat down with NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound director David Jaumandreu to discuss how the development teams brainstormed the game’s ideas, characters and art style.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound sees the classic ninja series return to its 2D roots with sidescrolling action and nostalgic NES-style pixel art. While modern 3D games are all the rage these days, Koei Tecmo isn’t letting Ninja Gaiden’s history fall by the wayside and worked with developer The Game Kitchen (best known for the excellent 2D side-scrolling action game, Blasphemous) and publisher Dotemu to honor Ninja Gaiden’s 2D origins.
Crunchyroll sat down with NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound director David Jaumandreu to discuss how the development teams brainstormed the game’s ideas, characters and art style.
How No Sleep for Kaname Date Developers Gave the Game Its Name
During Anime Expo 2025, we got to sit down with Spike Chunsoft and talk about No Sleep For Kaname Date from AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES. It's the latest entry in the visual novel series. Director Kazuya Yamada and localization producer Alex Flagg answered our questions about certain game mechanics and how they came up with the game's name.
How H1-KEY's "Summer Was You" Became a K-pop Summer Hit
Ever since H1-KEY debuted in 2022, the four-member K-pop group has experimented with different sounds, from their bombastic Athletic Girl single album debut to the energetic and rebellious “Let it Burn” on last year’s more mature LOVE or HATE mini-album—because H1-KEY is always looking for new ways to express themselves.
BAND-MAID's MIKU Kobato Talks About the Future and How the Band Decides on Album Names
With BAND-MAID taking a break from the middle of a nearly sold-out tour in Japan, Anime News Network had the opportunity to speak with its frontwoman, MIKU Kobato, at Anime Expo 2025.
Final Fantasy XVI Producer on the Series' Future
At Anime Expo 2025, Anime News Network got the chance to sit down with Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida to discuss how the series will progress in the future, as well as what he'd like to accomplish in the next several years.
This colorful Tetris variant is the gaming cooldown I needed
Last year, I played some difficult games. RPGs like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island put my skills to the test. While I found the Souls-inspired Black Myth: Wukong relatively easier compared to other games in its genre, some of the bosses still really gave me a hard time (looking at you, Yellow Wind Sage).
Inside Pac-Man's Gritty New Redesign
There are very few gaming gaming characters as instantly recognizable across all of popular culture as Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog, but Bandai Namco’s Pac-Man is one of them. The yellow fruit-eating circle’s iconic “waka-waka” eating soundbite is one of the most recognizable sounds in gaming. Debuting in 1980 in arcades (a full year ahead of Mario himself), Pac-Man is celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2025, although he’s sporting a very different look.
'Split Fiction' Might Just Be the First Big Co-Op Game of 2025
It all started at The Game Awards 2017 when Hazelight Studios director Josef Fares said, “Fuck the Oscars” to an audience of millions of viewers. It was a funny and sobering moment in an otherwise advertisement-heavy show. After his profanity-filled yet otherwise innocuous speech, the show introduced a new gameplay trailer for the 2018 co-op game, A Way Out.
'Dragon Age: The Veilguard' Is Bioware's Best Game in Ages. Here's How They Got There
It’s been a rough few years for Bioware. Originally known for making back-to-back (to back) RPG classics like Baldur’s Gate (1998), Neverwinter Nights (2002), and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) — as well as two sprawling, epic franchises with Mass Effect and Dragon Age — the Canadian developers once seemed unstoppable.
How the New 'Indiana Jones' Video Game Got Its Star
Todd Howard always wanted to create an Indiana Jones game. In 2009, the prolific director of titles like Fallout 3 came close, pitching an Indiana Jones game to LucasArts, the video game subsidiary arm of Lucasfilm. However, the collaboration didn’t end up happening.
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